the.com/monorail
public transit that looks like the future and runs like a theme park.
means A railway system in which trains run along a single rail, usually elevated above the ground.
from A 19th-century coinage that simply welds together "mono-" (Greek "monos," alone or single) and "rail." The Greek root is the same "alone" that gives us monologue and monopoly; here it just counts the rails — one instead of the usual two — and the word has carried that literal meaning ever since.
- single rail
- Balances on one beam, defying every instinct.
- Seattle relic
- Built for the 1962 World's Fair, still running.
- Disney darling
- More miles run in theme parks than cities.
- can't derail easily
- Wraps around its beam, hard to topple.
- Wuppertal classic
- German suspended line has swung since 1901.
for instance
seattle center monorail — opened 1962, connects seattle center to downtown, still operating daily
tokyo monorail — carries 150,000+ passengers daily between tokyo and haneda airport
las vegas monorail — opened 2004, connects casinos on the strip over 3.7 miles